Keeping up with gaming news is always a challenge, updates for popular games are frequent, but it’s not often that we see popular games disappear from online retailers. This week two popular game franchises have dealt a blow to gamers. Alan Wake’s American Nightmare is being withdrawn from sale, while BioWare, the makers of Mass Effect: Andromeda, have put that series on hiatus. Reports claim that the moves have left gamers wondering about the future of their favorite games.

The Alan Wake franchise was developed by Remedy Entertainment for use on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Windows 10 platforms. The latest version of the game, Alan Wake’s American Nightmare, was released in 2012 and continues to be popular, but it has now been withdrawn from sale.

According to Escapist magazine, Remedy Entertainment have been forced to withdrawAlan Wake from sale, because the licenses have expired on the music used in the game and its soundtrack. Remedy announced a flash sale of the Alan Wake games over this past weekend, encouraging gamers to buy before the music licenses expired. The game was available for as little as $3, but it has been unavailable since Monday, May 15.

Remedy have been quick to reassure those who have already purchased the game, that they will be able to continue to play the game. The expiry of the music licenses prevents any further sales, but does not affect those who already it.

As reported by IGN, Remedy’s head of communications, Thomas Puha, took to Twitter to tell fans that all of the music on the Alan Wake game is affected. This includes the use of songs like David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” as well as music specifically created for the game. Remedy is apparently considering re-licensing the music, as removing the soundtrack is simply not an option.

It seems remarkable that Remedy allowed the situation to develop to the point where it has had to withdraw the product from sale. At least those who already own the game will not be affected, at least in the short-term.

What Gives With Mass Effect: Andromeda?

Game maker, BioWare, has an altogether different problem with regards to Mass Effect: Andromeda, but it spells bad news for fans of the Mass Effect franchise. Andromeda is the fourth offering in the Mass Effect series, and has only been on release since March 2017. The game was developed by BioWare’s team in Montreal, Canada, and published by Electronic Arts for use on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows platforms.

As reported in the Express, Mass Effect: Andromeda has been slammed by gamers for poor quality animation, and poor game rendering. Reviews of Andromeda, in the gaming press were, at best, mixed. As a result, according to Bleeding Cool, the entire Mass Effect franchise has essentially been put on ice, after distributors EA released a press statement.

“Our teams at BioWare and across EA put in tremendous effort bringing Mass Effect Andromeda to players around the world. Even as BioWare continues to focus on the Mass Effect Andromeda community and live service, we are constantly looking at how we’re prepared for the next experiences we will create.”

“The teams in EA Worldwide Studios are packed with talent, and more than ever, we are driving collaboration between studios on key projects.”

“With our BioWare and Motive teams sharing studio space in Montreal, we have BioWare team members joining Motive projects that are underway. We’re also ramping up teams on other BioWare projects in development.”

“There will be much more to come from BioWare in the years ahead.”

It seems that, the BioWare team in Montreal will be focused on producing patches and fixes for Mass Effect Andromeda, but that there will be no further development of the game, at least in the short-term.